Four Days in November Part One

[cindyandron]

I wish CBS would allow this to be put out on DVD. I would love to have this program on DVD. I was a small kid but I remember the day because my father worked for the government and he never came home early. My parents were glued to the television for several days and of course I was watching it as well.

[katofromgreenhornet]

Seeing Walter Cronkite cry breaks my heart.

[mtl1865]

EXCELENT SHOW!! IM CANADIAN AND YET IM AS MOVED AS IF HE WERE MY PRESIDENT ITS NICE TO SEE LEVEL HEADEDNESS WHEN USUALLY ANYTHING JFK IS ALWAYS CONSPIRACY NONSENSE AND OUTRAGEOUS JIBBER JABBER

[snoops71]

Thank you so very much for posting this program. My familly and I watched this when it was originally shown in 1988. I was 17 at the time, and fascinated with JFK. That fascination continues today.

Very compelling broadcast.

[pnotto]

This was an outstanding show that I remember from 1988 Thanks u for posting this.

[buckeyeschmave]

Good special ... but when you see the original footage you realize how much CBS condensed the original footage for time's sake. That wasn't the place where ATWT was cut off for the bulletin, and at the point where Oswald is shot they dub Harry Reasoner's voice over footage from Washington. Actually, they suddenly cut back to him in the studio, then to Dallas in the middle of the scrum.

[copper2150]

This country and the world totally changed on that fateful day and his likes will never be seen again. We lost much more than a man on that day, we lost our greatnest.

[fromthesidelines]

The moment where CBS switched back to "AS THE WORLD TURNS" after Cronkite's first bulletin was somewhat condensed here: the full Nescafe commercial aired, followed by a sponsor I.D. {"The first portion of 'AS THE WORLD TURNS' was presented by..."}, a brief promo {"Follow Tod and Buz on a mountain adventure involving a pretty girl, on 'ROUTE 66', tonight on the CBS Television Network"}, then a 20 second "station break"- then, just before the second sponsor I.D., Cronkite interrupts again...

[58alaska]

I was 5 years old when it happened. Iremember my mom and sister crying.

[deb90566]

This was the first BIG test of television's ability to inform the nation as events were unfolding literally from second to second. Considering the primitive equipment of the time, the coverage is amazing. The media was learning on its feet those four days in November.

[SUNMAYDEN518]

check out dan rather announcing from dallas; he looks like a kid

[SUNMAYDEN518]

stands out as one of those most memorable days in my childhood

[ccjames69]

Wow, thanks for posting this!!! I recorded this also back in November 1988 but one my sisters decided to record over it at a later date. I was pissed. I wrote to CBS to see if they were willing to sale me a copy of the program. I never heard from them.

[theundercoveratheist]

I wept again as I did on that fateful day, November 22, 1963. O what could have been if this had never happened!

[MsSunlover]

i was your age bearcub

[joejabberoni]

interesting piece. glad you posted it.

[dmsmith1002]

Rest in peace, Mr. Cronkite.

[pm0501]

I remember watching this as it happened on Nov. 22, 1963. I was in the 5th grade and there was a TV set up in the common area outside the classrooms. Normally, we watched Bozo's Circus during lunch hour but on that day.... it was Walter Cronkite. I lived across the street and was able to go home for lunch. I left the house in the middle of Bozo and by the time I arrived back at school, news broke that Kennedy had been shot.

[td20fan]

doe sanyone know if this is available on dvd?

[bearcub410]

i was only 7 1/2 months old . i was at my great grandmothers home , my mothers mother and father were visiting from england , a cousin of my dad called them from work that the president was dead , she worked at a brokerage firm and they had the info he was dead even before the broadcast on tv

[dmsmith1002]

Thank you for posting this.  I had the entire show on tape years ago and have been trying without success to find a copy. Very , very sad day.

[skings21]

my great uncle was malcom kilduff. for realzzz. i've heard some crazy stories.

[6459131]

who ever planned and executed this horrible murder ,may you rot in hell, and to you president kennedy may god be with you , and god rest your soul.

[johnnyjohnson]

I was considering posting parts of this, but I guess I won't have to know. I have this on VHS as well. I remember we watched this in 6th grade, and our teacher was pointing out how Walter Cronkite kept taking off his glasses and putting them on again. Hard to believe it's been over 20 years since this aired.

[Balian271]

He was chocked up he was beginning to cry . one of the sadest day's in history.

[lovesautumn]

Thank you so much for posting this. I live in the South. My mom was in jr. high at this time. When the principal announced this event, her teacher said, "It's about time!" This saddens me. Whatever anyone's political persuasion, well this was one of our nation's worst days.

[gpciie]

I heard similar stories from my dad, who grew up in a suburb of Dallas. He remembers going home early from school and hearing some of the men in the neighborhood commenting that someone "finally killed the son of a bitch". I'm glad Oliver Stone's movie was honest enough to include this variety of reactions.

[starryian007]

From Dallas, Texas the flash, apparently official........President Kennedy died at Two PM Central Standard Time, One O'clock Eastern Standard time, some 38 minutes ago.

Haunting words that will never be forgotten.

[starryian007]

Walter Cronkite later said that he 'choked on the words there for a second' 'It was the hardest thing I ever had to say'

[igordhossegor38]

we can see that he was really important for everybody in the 60's.

[copper2150]

So long ago but watching all of this makes it seem like yesterday. We lost so much on that dreadful day and we never have been the same. If only John F. Kennedy had lived, we would be such a different country today.

[TGCRVT]

Giolli, thank you so much for posting the whole show. I taped the original when it first aired but as it aged the label got old and fell off and I lost the tape and I've been wanting to watch it. I've looked all over for a DVD of it on Amazon and even the CBS website but it would appear that there isn't one to be had. Thank you again.

[Landaux]

45 Years ago today folks. Man I wasnt even BORN yet!! And this brings me into it asthough I was!

[gaserjd]

I was......a searing memory.

[ivegotalongdong]

oswald: good shot! there was more than one shooter - HAD TO BE...but most of the participants are dead now. we'll never know the truth.  just like lincoln. bot hte assasins were snuffed out before they could poin the finger.

[proferic]

Oswald wasn't that good of a shot, he missed twice.

[babycakes1402]

I recorded this of CBS when it was originally aired back in Nov. of 1988 & still have it/watch it to this day. Very informative as well as a reminder of what we a country have lost.

[vitoduval]

This program left out Cronkite saying "a Secret Service agent was heard to shout from the car "He's dead!"".......

[ksol1460]

Thank you. We didn't see this because we were in school. They dismissed early, so we picked it up along about the second hour.

[Obelisk2290]

thanks for this its so far conspiracy free in terms of sensationalism

[GiolliArchives]

Robert, you are right about the feedback giving us a sense of urgency. The feedback seems to be reflecting the chaos at that moment. In normal situations, Walter Cronkite would not have been listening to another audio feed as he was reporting the news, so that probably wouldn't have happened during calmer times.

[GiolliArchives]

Robert, This was a good year for programs about President Kennedy (1988).In Nov. of 1983, I taped most programs about President Kennedy in audio since I did not have a vcr. All the programs which I put here on youtube I taped them all myself. The "America Remembers JFK" I taped on Memorial Day of 1986, yet it came out in November of 1983. I am 43 years old, so you and I are pretty much the same age (relatively)- so our memories of this program (and era) of 1988 are probably similar. Take care.

[yellyman]

The quality is horrible!

[gpciie]

It's a 20-year-old VHS of 25-year-old film. I'm just glad the footage still exists.

[henryfinn82]

Thank you SO much fpr posting this!

Hard to get this footage in Germany!

[GiolliArchives]

Robert, I think that sound is feedback. Cronkite probably was listening to reports coming into the station from Dallas on a speaker right next to him (probably a television). When Cronkite went back on the air, he did not turn the speaker down before his microphone fedback from the speaker. So his microphone was feeding back from hearing itself. That feedback probably would not have happened had he had an earphone plugged into his ear to listen to the reports coming in.

[roberthickerson]

I forgot about feedback, but it has that sense of urgency. When they did this in '88, I was 26 at the time and this was the first time that I saw extensive coverage of this.

[roberthickerson]

I taped the broadcast on Beta in 1988 and I always wondered what the sound was between 2:41-2:44.

[oriday64]

When Cronkite puts on his glasses and says "From Dallas, TX, the flash apparently official..."- that part always makes me shudder.

[giles422]

check evidence of revision film here on youtube to see what is left out.

[LJonny22]

Dude. Adjust your tracking knob on your 80's VCR.

[theundisputed7]

Kronkite... the consumate professional

[Superbook4Eva]

It is absolutely admirable how well Walter Cronkite kept it together when he had to announce the news of JFK's death. I was not born until 1980, but my mother was nine years old in 1963 and remembers this day like it was yesterday, in the same way my generation will never forget where we were or what we were doing on September 11, 2001.

[robertmastroianni]

@Superbook4Eva I was 16 -- almost 17 -- on December 8, 1980, and I will never forget the day John Lennon was assassinated.

I slept through 9-11

[troylovesmarina]

very sad

[Jeff051176]

Indeed.